Joseph Vincent Iacobucci was born on March 23, 1916, in Ohio. He was the son of Antonio "Anthony" Iacobucci and Elisena Iacobucci. He was married to Phyllis Arnold Iacobucci. Before entering West Point, he worked his way through two years of aeronautical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. After graduating from West Point in 1940, Joseph initially pursued his passion for aviation in Texas, but when flying didn’t suit him, he transferred to the Signal Corps. He was later assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, and deployed to the Philippines in the early fall of 1941.

During the defense of Bataan, Joe showed courage and skill by personally restoring broken communications between two commanding generals. After the fall of Corregidor in May 1942, Joe Iacobucci was captured by Japanese forces and imprisoned at Cabanatuan Prison Camp in the Philippines. In December 1944, Joe Iacobucci was taken to the Port Area of Manila and forced aboard the Hell Ship Oryoku Maru, which departed at 3 a.m. on December 14. Later that day, the ship reached Olongapo, where it came under intense attack from U.S. Navy aircraft launched from the USS Hornet. After enduring heavy strafing and bombings, the prisoners were ordered to abandon ship; once they were clear, the Oryoku Maru was sunk. The surviving POWs were moved to San Fernando, La Union, and placed aboard the Enoura Maru, which arrived at Takao, Formosa (now Taiwan) around January 1, 1945. On January 9, the ship was again attacked by American planes, killing approximately 300 prisoners.

The remaining survivors, including Iacobucci, were transferred to the Brazil Maru, which left on January 13 and arrived at Moji, Japan, on January 29, 1945. He was then imprisoned at Fukuoka POW Camp No. 1, where he suffered extreme deprivation. After enduring years of brutal captivity, Joe Iacobucci died on March 15, 1945, at Fukuoka Sub Camp No. 1, from starvation, dysentery, and exposure, just one week shy of his 29th birthday. He is now buried in the Saint Joseph New Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org